The present invention relates to method and apparatus for producing packaging pads, and more particularly to the production of packaging pads for cushioning fruit such as apples and the like as well as other delicate items.
Packaging materials of one type or another are often used to cushion and thereby protect delicate container contents during transit. From an economic standpoint, such packaging materials must be relatively inexpensive to produce since they are not reused and instead often discarded by the receiver of the goods. In the packaging of fruit such as apples and the like, it is customary to separate adjacent layers of fruit with some form of cushioning material. Cushioning may be provided by molded pulp inserts configured to accommodate the fruit and dimensioned to fit within the shipping carton. Alternatively, flexible padding may be used between the fruit layers, the padding usually comprising opposite paper sheets with cushioning material disposed between the sheets, such as milled newsprint, for example. Each of the various layers of fruit is separated from an adjacent layer by a packaging pad. The present invention is primarily directed to both method and apparatus for producing such packaging pads.